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U.S. Investigates Voting Machines’ Venezuela Ties
New York Times ^

Posted on 10/28/2006 7:04:53 PM PDT by floridareader1

The federal government is investigating the takeover last year of a leading American manufacturer of electronic voting systems by a small software company that has been linked to the leftist government of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.

The federal inquiry is focusing on the Venezuelan owners of the software company, the Smartmatic Corporation, and is trying to determine whether the government in Caracas has any control or influence over the firm’s operations, government officials and others familiar with the investigation said.

The inquiry on the eve of the midterm elections is being conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or Cfius, the same panel of 12 government agencies that reviewed the abortive attempt by a company in Dubai to take over operations at six American ports earlier this year.

The committee’s formal inquiry into Smartmatic and its subsidiary, Sequoia Voting Systems of Oakland, Calif., was first reported Saturday in The Miami Herald.

Officials of both Smartmatic and the Venezuelan government strongly denied yesterday that President Chávez’s administration, which has been bitterly at odds with Washington, has any role in Smartmatic.

“The government of Venezuela doesn’t have anything to do with the company aside from contracting it for our electoral process,” the Venezuelan ambassador in Washington, Bernardo Alvarez, said last night.

But Smartmatic was a little-known firm with no experience in voting technology before it was chosen by the Venezuelan authorities to replace the country’s elections machinery ahead of a contentious referendum that confirmed Mr. Chávez as president in August 2004.

Seven months before that voting contract was awarded, a Venezuelan government financing agency also invested more than $200,000 into a smaller technology company, owned by some of the same people as Smartmatic, that joined with Smartmatic as a minor partner in the bid.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: chavez; elections; hugoping; venezuela; votingmachines
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This is very concering. It is widely believed this organization might have helped rig Hugo Chavez' last two electoral victories. Could Chavez be trying to affect our election results. Do you trust the Venezuelans to run our elections?
1 posted on 10/28/2006 7:04:55 PM PDT by floridareader1
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To: floridareader1
Let me guess, Bev Harris and Black Box Voter is all over it!
2 posted on 10/28/2006 7:13:20 PM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (If a pug barks and no one is around to hear it... they hold a grudge for a long time!)
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To: floridareader1

In all seriousness, why should communities invest millions of dollars in equipment that used about two days a year?


3 posted on 10/28/2006 7:16:11 PM PDT by BW2221
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To: floridareader1
One would think by 40+ years now, that at least here in CA, we've got key punch technology down.

Jeez!

4 posted on 10/28/2006 7:19:09 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: floridareader1; kanawa; jazusamo; Thunder90; Hill of Tara; Victoria Delsoul; Army Air Corps; ...
Do you trust the Venezuelans to run our elections?

But Jimmuh Cahtah and the UN both said Hugo's win there was legit??



PING – Hugo is at it again!

Please FReepmail me if you would like on/off the Hugo/Venezuela Ping list.

HugoPing Archive

5 posted on 10/28/2006 7:22:52 PM PDT by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: proud_yank

What's next? Outsourcing our military to Cuba?


6 posted on 10/28/2006 7:24:26 PM PDT by floridareader1
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To: floridareader1

I guess that depends on who comes out ahead in Nov, and who wins in 08 :-)


7 posted on 10/28/2006 7:29:01 PM PDT by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: floridareader1

Will the DNC or the ACLU file lawsuits to have this investigation halted?


8 posted on 10/28/2006 7:30:30 PM PDT by msnimje (You simply cannot be Christian and Pro-Abortion.)
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To: proud_yank
I guess that depends on who comes out ahead in Nov, and who wins in 08 :-)

Probably won't matter, globalization is right on track. Welcome to the brave new world.

9 posted on 10/28/2006 7:34:10 PM PDT by itsahoot (If the GOP does not do something about immigration, immigration will do something about the GOP)
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To: floridareader1

But consider...

Smartmatic (www.smartmatic.com) is a company specialized in device networking solutions. Founded in Boca Raton (USA), it also has offices in the West Coast of the United States, Mexico and Venezuela. Smartmatic's ultra-safe device networking platform supports multiple physical security and automation solutions, currently used in banks, electoral bodies and other organizations.

Based on a flexible combination of software and smart devices, Smartmatic's device networking platform has won over the acknowledgement of important organizations such as Microsoft, Deloitte & Touche and the Security Industry Association (SIA) of the United States.


10 posted on 10/28/2006 7:40:56 PM PDT by gb63
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To: floridareader1

This news report has it's funny side.

Hasn't the LEFT been complaining that Bushes friends are build the voting machines?

Seems it's THEIR friends who are building them.


11 posted on 10/28/2006 7:43:42 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (God has blessed Republicans with political enemies who are going senile.)
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To: floridareader1

The dirty truth is that Chavez is controlled by Rove!


12 posted on 10/28/2006 7:47:17 PM PDT by ThomasThomas (Red is good)
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To: floridareader1

bump


13 posted on 10/28/2006 7:56:59 PM PDT by lesser_satan (EKTHELTHIOR!!!)
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To: floridareader1

According to Latin the Weekly:

The government of Chávez this behind this company. The reality is that the computer science talent Hispanic this on a par of any other group in the world and the technology that is used in the machines to vote is as simple as is used to produce computers and is sufficient evidence that the government of Chávez has a great participation in Smartmatic.

In most of the European countries where machines are used to vote, the codes of programming under public and they can be studied by independent experts who have the knowledge to detect programs that can alter the results. The Supreme Court I dictate that, in the EE.UU., the codes of programming they are deprived property of the companies and therefore they are not subject independent scrutinies. This allows the companies that control the machines to write any type of code in the programming without fear to that the program is escudriñado by independent organizations.

The debate I publish at this moment is on if the machines to vote they must produce a comprobante or not to the voter. Those are few that question the impartiality of the machines in spite of great evidence to the opposite reality is that without having access to the programming code, which demonstrates the comprobante can be different from which the machine was programmed to interpret. The Venezuelans have the capacity to program the results of the elections, without leaving sign some.

The elections of the 2000 undermined the confidence of the electorate in the system. Another scandal on electing results would create chaos in the nation. Our enemies know it and are On guard to do it.

Jose R. Uzal (uzal@msn.com) writes for Latin the Weekly., in West Palm Beach FL, on subjects of interest for Hispanic the loudspeakers. 561-310-5333
http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=37522


14 posted on 10/28/2006 8:10:38 PM PDT by seastay
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To: floridareader1
It is Smartmatic the American firm who acquired Sequoia voting system the Venzuelan firm and not vice versa as the New York Times article is saying. That is from Smartmatic website their website"

"Our wide-ranging business solutions portfolio includes the latest developments in software, device intelligence and automation to create new and better business opportunities. For example, the Smartmatic Automated Election Systems (SAES) uses the Smartmatic platform for ultra-safe device networking in a voting system that guarantees security, reliability and auditability. Sequoia Voting Systems, acquired by Smartmatic on March 8, 2005, has received widespread acclaim for its successful use of electronic voting systems throughout the U.S., including, in the State of Nevada, the first election in American history featuring a voter-verified paper trail.

http://www.smartmatic.com/about_us.htm

15 posted on 10/28/2006 8:42:47 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: jveritas

Voting in Nevada is pretty damn easy and we get to see the paper trail before we press the 'vote' button. I don't trust Chavez any further than I can throw his fat @ss but unless the results in this election don't match up to the rest of the data we don't get paranoid like the Dems.


16 posted on 10/28/2006 8:54:00 PM PDT by bpjam (Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaida - The Religion of Peace)
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To: floridareader1

A week before the election someone gets concerned? This has been talked about on Brit Hume's show as well as Lou Dobbs show since early this summer.


17 posted on 10/28/2006 8:57:51 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: bpjam
I agree we do not get paranoid. Also I do not know how wide spread this Smartmatic/Sequoia voting systems are, they may be only used in few parts of the country. My dispute is with the New York Times article, if I am reading it correctly it is saying that Sequoia took over Smartmatic but in reality it was the opposite.
18 posted on 10/28/2006 8:58:38 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: bpjam

When you say paper trail what does it mean? Do you get a receipt showing who did you vote for? Thank you.


19 posted on 10/28/2006 9:00:40 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: K4Harty

Why do the Dims need this? Don't they already have the dead, illegal immigrants, and felons voting for them already???


20 posted on 10/28/2006 9:05:17 PM PDT by Thunder90
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